Article orienting and stacking device



Aug. 1960 R. s. SEIBERT, JR 2,948,419

ARTICLE ORIENTING AND STACKING DEVICE Filed Sept. 16, 1957 INVENTOR. K RALPHS.SEIBERT,JR.

United States Patent ARTICLE ORIENTING AND STACKING DEVICE Ralph Spurgeon Seibert, In, New Brunswick, NJ., as-

signor to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 16, 1957, Ser. No. 684,250

4 Claims. (Cl. 21'4 '6 This invention relates to apparatus for stacking small objects. It is particularly directed to vibratory apparatus for arranging unoriented flat-like articles such as. small disks into vertical stacks by successively raising the stack and sliding another article underneath the stack;

In the prior art diificulty has been encountered in stacking small articles where the articles are too small to be individually handled with facility. For example, in the mechanized mass production of transistors, extremely small germanium pellets and equally small washer disks must be arranged in vertical stacks for subsequent dispensing. Also, in prior art apparatus, difficulty is often encountered in removing the articles from the tops of the stacks because of obstruction by the stacking apparatus itself.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide improved apparatus for automatically arranging a number of small unoriented articles into a vertical stack.

Another object of my invention is the provision of such apparatus in which removalv of the uppermost article in a stack is not obstructed by the stacking apparatus itself.

Generally, my invention comprises a flat-bottomed hopper for holding a number of similar unoriented articles. One end of the hopper is provided with one or more compartments slightly greater in width than the articles to be stacked. Each compartment is terminated in a vertical magazine which has an opening at its base communicating with its compartment. The hopper is vibrated at an angle with the horizontal to move the articles therein toward the compartments. The articles are successively oriented by the compartments and move on to the magazines Where other articles already stacked therein are bounced upward oif the floor of the magazine thus permitting an article in the compartment to move into the magazine and underneath the stack. Thus articles are successively inserted in the bottom of the stack.

In the drawings,

Figures la and 1b are perspective views of representative shaped articles suitable for stacking with the apparatus of my invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of apparatus according to my invention showing a part of the apparatus exploded.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the assembled apparatus of Figure 2 showing a number of the articles of Figure 1a therein.

Figure 4 is a partial top plan view of the assembled apparatus of Figure 2 showing a number of the articles of Figure la therein.

Referring to Figure 1a, a small flat disk washer 10 is shown. The washer 10 is representative of the shape of articles which can be stacked by my invention. The washer 10 may, for example, be one of the type used in transistor manufacturing, having a thickness of approximately 0.005 inch and an outside diameter of approximately 0.156 inch.

Figure 1b illustrates a thin block 12 also representative of the shape of articles which can be stacked by my invention The block 12 may, for example, be a germanium pellet such as is also used in transistor manufacturing and may be approximately 0.005 inch thick and 0.085 inch square.

Referring to Figure 2, a table '14- is shown to support vibratory stacking apparatus 16 which includes a vibration unit 18 and a stacking unit 20. The vibration unit 18, which may be of conventional design, comprises a base plate 22 supported on the table 1'4 by four coil springs 24. The coil springs 24 serve to isolate the stacking apparatus 16 from any undesired extraneous vibrations. The vibration unit 18 also includes a pair of leaf vibration springs 26, one being attached at either end of the base plate 22. An upper platform 28 is supported on the upper ends of the leaf springs 26. A solenoid 30 mounted on the base plate 22 includes a magnetic core 32 which is closely spaced to a magnetic block 34 for cooperation therewith. The block 34 is attached to one of the leaf springs 26 for effecting vibration thereto and to the platform 28. The operational line of the leaf springs 26, magnetic block 34, and solenoid 30 is disposed at an angle of, e.g. 30 with the horizontal in order to produce a vertical component of vibration as Well as a horizontal component.

The stacking unit 20 is attached to the upper surface of the platform 28 and comprises a flat-bed hopper 36 which terminates at one end into a plurality of elongated compartments 38, defined by high dividing walls 40. A comb 42, shown exploded from the hopper and compartmentunit, is adapted for attachment to the tops of the two outer walls 44 such that the fingers 46 of the comb 42 extend downward into the compartments 38 thus forming a vertical magazine 48 in conjunction with each of the compartments 38. This is most clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The ends of the downwardly extending fingers 46 terminate a short distance from the floor of each compartment so that a communicating opening is provided between the magazine 48 and its associated compartment 38. Thus a washer 10 may be moved along the floor of the hopper 36 into a compartment 38, beneath a finger 46 (i.e. through the opening) and into a magazine 48.

In operation, an A.C. voltage is applied to the solenoid 30 to vibrate the platform 28 and the stacking unit 20 along a line generally normal to the major surface of the leaf springs 26, Washers placed in the hopper 36 move toward the compartments 38, and thereinto as shown in Figure 3. Considering for a moment one compartment and its associated magazine, and with no washers yet in the magazine, the first washer to enter the compartment 38 will continue forward and slide under the comb finger 46 and into the magazine 48. Since the vibration effected by the solenoid 30 is at an angle to the horizontal, the washer then in the magazine will be bounced off the floor of the magazine and another washer will slide forward under the comb and into the magazine underneath the first washer. This process will continue, thus stacking the washers in the magazines from the bottom up.

It should be noted that the sole purpose of the comb fingers 46 is to provide back walls for the magazines 48 to prevent the washers stacked therein from falling over, back into the compartments 38. Although the comb fingers 46 are dimensioned to admit one washer at a time into the magazines, this does not constitute one of its purposes. In fact, excepting the aforementioned backfalling, stacking from the bottom by forward and upward vibration according to my invention is performed with almost equal efiiciency with or without the comb 42.

The frequency at which the stacking unit is vibrated is not at all critical. Rather, the frequency of vibration is reflected in the rate at which the Washers are stacked. Of course, it will be appreciated that there are practical limits as imposed by the laws of kinematics. The voltage applied to the solenoid, being relative to the force with which the vibrations are effected, has an optimum value for different articles to be stacked depending upon their weight and shape. For eiiampla'heavier or thicker articles will necessitate a higher voltage being applied to the solenoid in order that'they may be bounced a suflicient distance from the floor of the magazine to permit another article to slide underneath. Height of bounce can also be adjusted by changing the angle of the operational line of the leaf springs 26, magnetic block 34, and solenoid 30.

While I have described one simplified, specific embodiment of my invention, it will be appreciated that various modifications will be readily suggested to one skilled in the art.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for stacking flat-like articles each having a length and width substantially greater than the thickness thereof comprising an elongated compartment having a vertically oriented magazine at one end thereof, said compartment and said magazine having a continuous horizontal floor, said magazine having an aperture therein communicating with said compartment adjacent said floor, said aperture extending to a height above said floor slightly greater than the thickness and substantially less than the length and width of said articles and vibratory means adapted to vibrate said floor along a line oblique thereto upward and toward said magazine.

2. Apparatus for stacking flat articles comprising means for holding a member of unoriented articles, passageway orienting means communicating at one end thereof with first said means, vertical magazine means for receiving stacked articles, said magazine means being located adjacent the other end of said passageway from first said means and having an aperture at its lower extremity communicating With said passageway, said passageway and said vertical magazine means having a continuous horizontal floor; and vibratory means adapted to vibrate first 4 said means along a line oriented upward and from said one end to said other end.

3. Apparatus for stacking flat articles comprising a hopper having a generally horizontal elongated bed, said hopper being partitioned at one end into a plurality of elongated compartments open toward the other end of said hopper, the floor of said compartments being provided by said bed, said compartments having their longitudinal axes parallel to each other and to said hopper, said compartments being provided with vertical trans verse Walls spaced from their closed end, said walls having a shallow opening adjacent the floor of said compartments sufiicient to permit one of the articles to be stacked to pass therethrough, and vibratory means connected to said hopper for vibrating said hopper along a ath angled upward from the horizontal from said one end to said other end of said hopper.

4. Apparatus for stacking small articles comprising an elongated hopper having a fiat substantially horizontal fioor and having one end portion thereof partitioned into a plurality of elongated compartments longitudinally oriented with said hopper, said compartments having one end open to said hopper, a comb mounted above said compartments and having a plurality of flat fingers, one each extending vertically downward into each of said compartments, the ends of said fingers being spaced from said floor, the width of said fingers extending transversely across said compartments to provide a walled vertical magazine closure at the end of said compartments opposite said one end thereof, and vibratory means connected to said hopper for vibrating said hopper along a line angled downward from the compartmentized end of said hopper to its other end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,163,107 Phifer Dec. 7, 1916 2,745,232 Alfandre et a1 May 15, 1956 2,749,120 Mallory June 5, 1956 2,815,135 Kullmar Dec. 3, 1957 

